a A Study on the Conceptual Metaphor of “Cattle” in Chinese and Thai Languages from a Cognitive Perspective การศึกษาอุปมาอุปไมยเชิงมโนทัศน์ของ “วัว/ควาย” ในภาษาจีนและภาษาไทยจากมุมมองทางปัญญา

Abstract

Humans and animals are inextricably linked. In coexistence between humans and animals, people are increasingly familiar with animal’s morphological characteristics, living habits and various values, and constantly endow various animals with specific cultural symbolic meanings. These cultural symbolic experiences have been thoughtfully processed to the level of language, thus forming unique animal metaphors. Animal metaphors in both Chinese and Thai languages are very systematic.  This paper selects “Cattle”, the animal which is well known by Chinese and Thai people, as the starting point of the research.  Based on the conceptual metaphor theory of cognitive linguistics, and on the basis of full explaining the cultural meaning of “Cattle”, this paper deeply explores and analyzes the conceptual metaphor mode of “Cattle” in Chinese and Thai languages, and studies the generation mechanism of its meaning. Due to the influence of natural environment, national culture, religious customs and thinking habits, the conceptual metaphor of “Cattle” in Chinese and Thai languages presents its own characteristics on the basis of highlighting the huge shape, dumb and slow movements of the cattle.